Sebastopol super-volunteer Elizabeth Smith, Jim Corbett from Peacetown, Kiwanis volunteers and five students from Analy’s Speech and Debate Team were out behind Toyworks Saturday assembling hundreds of bags of pre-filled eggs for local families to pick up and hide around their yard as a part of the second annual Sebastopol Family Easter Egg Hunt TO GO.
The pick-up event, which is planned for April 3, is being hosted Peacetown Family Village, Kiwanis Club of Sebastopol and Toyworks — and a dozen other local organizations are helping to sponsor it.
Smith said she and other volunteers filled more than 2,000 eggs and 140 bags on Saturday. The eggs contain candy, as well as gift certificates for Screamin’ Mimi’s ice cream and Sebastopol Cookie Company cookies.
Smith was originally planning to do around 150 bags, but said the event, which requires a free Eventbrite reservation, sold out so quickly that she’s going to do 100 extra bags.
“There’s so much interest from the community and so much more awareness of the event this year that I’m just gonna go for it,” Smith said. “You know it’s going to require more effort, but that’s wonderful. We get to serve 250 families.”
Patti Stack of Sebastopol Kiwanis, the group that for years has put on the Easter Egg Hunt in Ives Park, said she’s thrilled that Smith has taken the reins this year.
“She’s really the driving force,” Stack said, “and we’re so grateful that she stepped forward to do this.”
In addition to volunteering to help stuff the bags and soliciting donations for the event, Kiwanis is also providing their Easter Bunny suit for the pick-up day — “and someone to be the bunny!” Smith said gratefully.
“The intention of this whole thing is to provide positive experiences for children in our community,” Smith said, “and I’m so glad to be working with other local organizations to do that.”
Families can pick up Easter Egg Hunt TO-GO bags on April 3 at Toyworks between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., but they need to register first through on the event’s Eventbrite site: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sebastopol-egg-hunt-to-go-tickets-145539936869
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